"Midnight Showing Sold Out! Neglected Independent Art Film Reaps First Wave of Autumn Harvest!"
This article, penned by Bradley Adams, was first updated on the official website of The New York Times in the early hours of October 22nd.
"...The landmark cinema in downtown Los Angeles attracted a crowd of two hundred viewers, marking the second midnight showing frenzy since "Brokeback Mountain" in 2000... Simultaneously, ten additional theaters in Los Angeles and New York experienced a rare wave of moviegoers...
This is an utterly unknown independent film, from the director to the actors, the entire crew consisted of newcomers. This is the director's second feature film and the male lead's first film for the big screen. With a mere three million dollars investment, it couldn't even stir a ripple in the stagnant waters of Hollywood. Even with Toronto's acclaim, even with Telluride's attention, "Buried" remains yet another masterpiece overlooked by the North American film market.
...Premieres in eleven art cinemas have achieved initial success, once again firmly convincing people that as long as the quality of the work itself is outstanding, the market is still willing to provide corresponding support... The future market performance of "Buried" is anticipated, whether independent art films can welcome spring... Meanwhile, the highly acclaimed independent art works "The King's Speech" and "Black Swan" are also awaiting a fervent box office response...
Notably, the entire crew of "Fast 5" attended. It's evident that the filming progress under Hall's direction has been smooth."
At this moment, not even three hours had passed since the end of the midnight premiere of "Buried".
As the largest newspaper in the United States, the attention given to The New York Times naturally couldn't be underestimated. Bradley's report could be fully described as an "exclusive". Almost no one could have anticipated that the midnight showing would be sold out!
Even Andy Rogers, the organizer of the entire "Fast 5" crew's attendance, hadn't intended to invite journalists. After all, the midnight showing was too obscure. Inviting journalists might come across as contrived. Andy hoped that the cinema staff or other midnight audience members would voluntarily leak information online, or perhaps snapshots taken by the audience could be uploaded, creating a chain reaction that would lead journalists to interview the cast and crew of "Fast 5" and spark the news.
However, the results greatly exceeded expectations.
It was apparent that Bradley discarded the evening's main attraction, the sensational aspect of the "Fast 5" crew's presence, and instead focused all attention on the packed midnight showing. Undoubtedly, this maximized the publicity effect for "Buried", inadvertently downplaying the initial promotion for "Fast 5".
Within just a few hours, this article from The New York Times garnered over a million clicks and was reprinted by sixteen different news sources. For an independent film without any promotional budget, this was an incredibly dreamlike start!
Even The New York Times themselves were somewhat surprised by the intense response this report incited.
"Simultaneously, the fervent online reactions ignited like a powder keg, erupting dramatically. Within twelve hours, Yahoo Community saw the emergence of sixty-three threads closely related to "Buried", attracting over twenty thousand replies and more than sixty thousand active participants. For the early hours of the internet, this was an astonishing phenomenon, undoubtedly propelling "Buried" to the throne of the latest hot topic.
I finally understand why this film caused such long queues in Toronto! Why countless viewers gathered in Toronto, clamoring for additional showings! Why loyal viewers of Telluride couldn't stop praising it! Why some even dared to compare it to "127 Hours"!
Because "Buried" is a masterpiece! A truly deserving masterpiece! Weak plot, monotonous camerawork, convoluted themes... These are flaws, these are facts, yet they are still unable to mask the excellence of the work! Precise pacing, firmly gripping the audience's attention; a thrilling atmosphere, simple yet not dull, consistently high-energy; and most importantly: superb acting, every performance detail shaking my soul! Magnificent! Truly magnificent!
I already want to watch it a second time, I strongly demand additional showings!"
This post attracted two thousand three hundred and thirty-nine replies and received over seventy thousand clicks, rightfully becoming the most blazing thread thus far.
"Absolutely riveting! It's unimaginable that under such a monotonous setting, such mundane material, there isn't a single moment of emptiness throughout the entire viewing process. Even after the film ended, I still felt unsatisfied! This is the best film of the year! None can compare!"
"Los Angeles' midnight showing is completely sold out. My friends and I almost missed the film. It's sold out, completely sold out, it's truly beyond belief! How are our friends in New York?"
"Renly Hall! True talent. He's elevated acting to an art form! Compared to him, James Franco's acting is feeble!"
"The film is genuinely, truly, incredibly good! This is the real locked-room film, lacking the dramatic ups and downs of a play, devoid of character conflicts, yet it maximizes the allure of cinema within a confined space. The immersive thrill, it's been three hours since the film ended, and my hands are still trembling."
"Mastery, absolute mastery! I think Renly Hall deserves an Oscar! If anyone says he's backed by connections, please, go to the cinema, and get your face slapped directly!"
...
Threads about the film, about the performances, appeared in an unending stream. There was even one post that used a series of exclamation marks as the title, serving to express the poster's inner excitement and enthusiasm.
Almost everyone was fervently discussing "Buried", creating an eerie illusion: as though this wasn't an art piece shown in eleven theaters, but a commercially released film on four thousand screens. The explosive attention and discussions were unnaturally intense, almost eerie.
From this perspective, it was evident that the anticipation from film enthusiasts over the past two months had indeed reached a new peak. Although the premiere was only held in New York and Los Angeles tonight, the fans who stayed up all night to follow "Buried" were quite numerous.
This was, indeed, a sleepless night.
Originally, occurrences like this were reserved for movies that incited fan fervor like "Star Wars", "The Lord of the Rings", and "The Matrix". Now, it was happening with "Buried". Although on a much smaller scale, it was still astonishing. Adding another astonishing moment to the remarkable times for the newcomer Renly.
After returning to his dormitory, William couldn't sleep due to his excitement. His first instinct was to log into the Yahoo Community and start browsing through the posts. As he read the content of the threads, numerous details from the movie a few hours ago involuntarily emerged in his mind. This sensation was truly enchanting, making him unable to contain his excitement as he replied to each post, sharing his thoughts.
The entire Yahoo Community buzzed with activity, like a rare afternoon tea time, and nobody paid attention to the gradually dawning light outside.
Suddenly, William's hand, sliding the mouse, came to a halt. He looked closely, thinking he might be mistaken. After confirming it again, the username of the poster was indeed Brandomania. He became even more excited.
After clicking on the post, William was somewhat surprised. Instead of a review or thoughts, there was an artwork displayed. A hand-drawn watercolor painting.
The subject of the painting was none other than tonight's protagonist, Renly.
Gray shirt, black jeans, light brown windbreaker, right hand in the pocket of his pants, left hand holding a cigarette. His profound features and spirited gaze were vividly captured by delicate brushstrokes. It even seemed more vivid than a photograph. However, the vibrant watercolors intensified the contrast, his charcoal-like eyebrows slightly raised, and the powerful impact of color seemed to struggle to break through the screen.
William's mind recalled Renly's appearance tonight, and he smiled. It had to be admitted that this painting expertly depicted Renly's gaze, making his entire existence come alive.
Underneath the painting, Brandomania wrote, "Tonight, I attended the midnight premiere of "Buried" and unexpectedly saw Renly Hall in person. Not only did he personally interact with the audience, but he also engaged in discussions with the viewers about the movie, about the characters. The scene felt like a fan meetup!
For the role in "Buried", Young Heir put in unimaginable effort and perseverance. He even went as far as to personally experience the fear of being buried alive to death. He spent a full eight hours in a completely sealed coffin, experiencing the struggle and pain of the character firsthand. Hence, we experienced the visceral pain in the cinema.
It must be acknowledged that Young Heir Renly himself is much more handsome in person than on screen. That indescribable handsomeness and elegance make people want to scream. Cameras and photographs are incapable of capturing the temperament that flows with the light; only one's eyes can record it.
An actor with exceptional performance talent and unwavering enthusiasm, combined with the classical elegance of a gentleman and the vibrant spirit of youth. Completely unattainable, one can only marvel and be stunned.
Unfortunately, out of respect and surprise, no cameras were brought last night. Thus, a brush was used to capture this fleeting glimpse."
The post by Brandomania had been up for less than fifteen minutes, yet it had already garnered over three thousand clicks and over two hundred replies.
Underneath the post, a group of fanboys and fangirls couldn't restrain their screams. "Young Heir is truly too handsome! Marry me, Renly! A true top-tier material, I've fallen! So envious! I'm also in Los Angeles, why didn't I see Renly? Why?"...
In reality, this was just the beginning.